UFC 115: Who’s On The Hot Seat?

What mixed martial artists are in jeopardy of losing their jobs with a loss this Saturday night? Let’s not waste any more time and get to the business at hand.

Mike Pyle:
Pyle is a seasoned veteran who has fought for just about every major promotion since his career began with a loss to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson back in 1999. He is currently 1-2 in the UFC and was last seen being decimated by Jake Ellenberger at UFC 108. Two losses in a row coupled with a 1-3 record will not help you keep your job in the UFC. One interesting fact about Pyle, he is the only man to ever submit UFC welterweight Jon Fitch.

Ricardo Funch:
Funch will take on UFC newcomer and Canadian native Claude Patrick on Saturday night. After losing his UFC debut to Johny Hendricks at UFC 107, Funch was scheduled to fight Matthew Riddle at UFC 111, but was unable to compete. Lose your first two fights in the UFC against guys with similar experience and you will more than likely find yourself avoiding the phone for the next few days.

Peter Sobotta:
The UFC signed Sobatta to compete at UFC 99 because he is half German. They wanted to add some local talent to the card. He lost a unanimous decision to Paul Kelly and has been taking care of some military commitments since then. Here he takes on James Wilks who won the welterweight contract on season nine of The Ultimate Fighter. Sobatta has just 10 career bouts while Wilks has nine. Both men have lost their last fight, but Wilks won’t be cut just yet, Sobatta will, if he loses.

David Loiseau:
It was just four short years ago that Loiseau was getting ready to challenge then UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin for his title. The two waged war for five rounds, but Loiseau came up short and lost his next bout to Mike Swick in what would be his last fight with the UFC for three years. He came back at UFC 97 and put on a lackluster performance in losing a unanimous decision to Ed Herman. He was cut yet again. He is simply on this card because he is a popular Canadian fighter and will be cut with a loss.

Mario Miranda:
Miranda came in to the UFC undefeated with wins over current UFC welterweight Rick Story and former UFC middleweight Joe Vedepo. He ran into Gerald Harris at UFC Fight Night 21 and was stopped late in the first round. A loss here is damaging in two ways; one he would start his UFC career off at 0-2. Second, he is facing a fighter who the UFC has cut on more than one occasion in Loiseau. I’m not sure Miranda can survive another loss here. You know they are always looking to trim the fat.